Christ in the Clouds

Some people would say my hubby and I have a pretty quiet, laid back life. We are empty-nesters. We live in a cottage, on a lake. We are just a few years away from retirement.(I actually stopped working last year.) We are currently not involved in a lot of community/social groups. But a quiet life doesn't mean there is lots of time for solitude and seclusion from family activities, daily responsibilities, and time that the two of us spend together. In fact, there are times I really crave solitude with God, but it just doesn't come that easily. (And when I say "solitude" I don't especially mean a devotional time in the Word and/or prayer. I am pretty much able to do that every day.) I mean just getting away from all of the schedules and business, t.v. and computer, and just making time to gather my thoughts, rest, and relax.  We have a small lot, which our cottage is situated on. There are two different patio areas - one on the lakeside of the house a...

It was November of 2011...I was a newby still - it was only the second time that I had officially posted on my blog. I wrote on my experience of my son (then only 18 years old) having accidently hit his head and having a concussion. The fear, anxiety, and frustration were all there in that post. When You Get the Dreaded Phone Call An  excerpt from that post:   "He can’t remember and keeps asking questions from one minute to the next….my heart aches for him in his frustration to remember. He starts to panic…..I remind him to stay calm. Can we make it home before he loses it? We do, but even then he can’t relax at home…..questions and more questions (yikes! Will he be like this the next 2-3 days?) Please, Lord, bring back his memory! ...later on, I start to feel the release of my emotions from the stressful evening and shed some tears! Oh, the things we endure as parents! We love, yet at such a cost!!!" As I read the post again, I almost had ...

I know, for me, I tend to sometimes forget how precious life is.... The lives of those around me and my own. This past weekend the hubby and I attended the 3rd birthday party of our grand-niece.(our niece's daughter.) I remember when this  rambunctious  bundle of toddler energy was born. At a mere 4 lbs, 12 oz., she was a true miracle! My niece found out just a year after having her daughter that she had a rare blood-clotting disease that had caused and would cause her to have multiple problems in pregnancy and childbirth, including miscarriage, early labor, and low birth weight. Her doctor discouraged her from trying to have more children, as not only could it cause her to have pregnancy issues, but was a threat to her own life during pregnancy and childbirth. My niece and nephew were devastated with the diagnosis, as they both wanted more children. After grieving for a time, though, they decided to focus on their precious little girl, and be thankful for the bles...

I desired relationship, not just with Jesus, but with my only son. I  prayed    I shared   I waited    I gave thanks  I put on the full armor of God; fought the enemy with the Lord's help! I read God's promises over and over in His Word and claimed them for myself. I waited again  I tried to do everything right, and nothing seemed to happen... it confused me and if I’m being really honest it hurt my heart.   I felt both of them drawing farther away, not closer to me. What was I to do? What was I supposed to learn? Maybe it's this... Maybe welcoming God’s promises requires the same sort of acceptance we give any guest who arrives at our home: preparation, waiting, making room for the promise to have seat at the table, even as it’s still far off in the distance. Maybe sometimes God’s promises wait in the distance. Pain waits there too. That’s when He comes alongside. The presence of the living God, eagerly...